Atrahasis and Human
Creation

When the Gods did the work they grew
weary and decided to create man. This concept appears in all
legalism.

This later Akkadian version of
the flood story and the creation of humanity and fits between the
Sumerian version and the Babylonian version in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
This following outline is from "The Treasures of Darkness" by Thorkild Jacobsen, Yale University. Press, 1967). It begins:

When ILU (that is ENLIL) was
the boss they (the gods) were burdened with toil, lugged the work
basket; the god's work basket . . . was big, so that the toil was
heavy, great the straits.

ENLIL, having charge of the
earth put the other gods to work digging the Euphrates and Tigris
rivers. Tired of their condition and at the instigation of one of the
gods they burned their tools one night and surrounded ENLIL's house.
ENLIL was alarmed and sent for AN and ENKI. After the striking gods
told them that the work was killing them and that they would not
continued ENLIL burst into tears and offered his resignation. ENKI
then proposed a compromise. They would create man to bear the burden
to that the gods would be free.

With the birth goddess, NINTUR,
ENKI used the flesh and blood of the strike's ringleader (killed by
the other gods) to fashion clay into 7 male and 7 female embryos in
the "house of destiny". After 9 months humanity was born and put to
work.

After 1,200 years the

the growing human population kept
ENLIL awake nights. So ENLIL and the gods sent a plague which was
ended when ENKI told the human Atrahasis to shift all offerings to the god of the
plague, NAMTAR who
became to abashed to harm the people further.

The story of
Second Adam and Eve define how the second thousand years began. As with
all traditions of instrumental music and choir to manipulate other
people, Satan is always the source.

After another 1,200 years the
noise was back so ENLIL and the gods sent a drought. ENKI advised
Atrahasis to shift all offering to ADAD, the god causing the drought,
and the drought stopped.

Soon the noise returned so the
gods ceased to perform their duties so all of natures bounty
disappeared. This was only ended when ENKI let large quantities of
fish into the rivers (accidentally, he maintained).

ENLIL, by now enraged, bound
his fellow gods by an oath to annihilatehumanity by a flood. ENKI got around this oath and managed to warn
Atrahasis by speaking not to him but to the reed hut in which he was
lying. Atrahasis built a large boat explaining to the town elders
that he was leaving because of the bad blood between his personal
god, ENKI, and ENLIL in whose domain his town of Shuruppak lay. After
having loaded the boat with all kinds of animals and his family the
flood came.

The gods were horrified at the
destruction of the flood which lasted 7 days and nights. In addition
they became hungry as no offerings were made to sustain them. When
Atrahasis left the ship he prepared a sacrifice around which the
hungry gods gathered like flies.

ENLIL was the exception. He was
enraged and ENKI had to defend himself. He blamed ENLIL for punishing
the innocent and guilty alike. Eventually a compromise was reached to
keep the human population from getting to large. The gods introduced
a type of barren woman, created a demon, PASHITTU, who kills children
at birth, and established several categories of priestesses for whom
childbearing was taboo.

The following excerpt is taken
from "Myths From Mesopotamia: Gilgamesh, The Flood, and Others"
Translated by Stephanie Dalley. It is related here for educational
purposes only.